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Five things I’ve learned from Project: Unsubscribe

It’s day two into my project of unsubscribing to the dozens of e-mails that flood into my personal and professional inboxes every single day.  Here are five things I’ve learned from this project so far:

1. This is annoying. I recognize that I will be grateful next week when I’m not being flooded by these e-mails that I have taken the time to unsubscribe to the mailing list.  But right now when I’ve finished my 43rd unsubscribe OF THE DAY I’m annoyed.

2. There are a handful of very smart companies out there that have added an option outside of unsubscribe that is: don’t e-mail me more then once a month.  For Anthropologie and Pottery Barn I took them up on this.  I’d like to get an e-mail from them monthly…but not two or three times a week.

3. I want to unsubscribe from other annoyances in my life.  And rather then just rolling my eyes and saying “what am I gonna do?” I’m actually DOING something about it.  I have clicked UNFOLLOW on a few twitter accounts and blogs that weren’t bringing anything positive into my life.  I’ve also started a pile in the corner of the guest room of stuff to sell/donate/swap – I then put a post it note above the pile that says EXPIRES March 1.  So if I haven’t gone back for it it needs to leave the house by March 1st.

4. My impulse shopping is going to be positively impacted by this exercise and thus, so is my budget.  I was being very mindful of my unsubscribing this morning and over the course of the first 10 e-mails I found myself lusting over STUFF.  Do you know what I have plenty of?  STUFF.  I need STUFF like I need Thass….which is to say I do not need stuff.  Not even if that stuff comes at 40% OFF for Presidents Day Only!

5.  This may seem completely unrelated but I don’t believe that it is.  I threw out condiments that I hate. When my facebook relationship status changed (yes, that’s how we’re playing it) I didn’t go through the fridge.  I went through a lot of things but the fridge wasn’t one of them.  And then last night as I was struggling to get out my salad dressing I got mad.  WHY was all this crap in here?  I don’t like horseradish.  And so I threw out the stuff I don’t like.